"Perhaps someone better versed in Colonial and Pre-Colonial history would
care to provide more detailed information."

I suspect that since copyright in my copy of "The American Colonies; From
Settlement to Independence" is 1976, Dr R C Simmons a fellow of the Charles
Warren Centre in American History will not object to a direct quote.

The white population of the American colonies increased from about 397,000
in 1720 to 1,267,000 in 1760. Together the Germans and Swiss-Germans and
Scotch-Irish made up the bulk of the non-English immigrants into America in
those years.
The lowland Scots came as merchants, professional men and servants.
Highlanders moved in family and clan units. Some were transported for their
part in the uprisings of 1715 and 1745, but the total of Highlanders was
only about 700.
The other significant group of non-English were 2,000-3,000 sephardic Jews,
mostly merchants and traders in the northern seaport towns, who were
permitted full citizenship by Act of Parliament in 1740.
One of the most beautiful colonial buildings was the synagogue in Newport,
Rhode Island.

Most 18th century immigrants were Protestant northern Europeans.
In the later nineteenth century many Americans were alarmed at the
continuing inflow of southern and eastern European Catholics and Jews.

My interest in genealogy started with knowing nothing about my family other
than my beloved grandfather telling me when I was a small boy that he had
been born in Australia and that we had important relations in America.
He was gassed by the Germans in WWI when 50,000 casualties were sustained in
the first morning of the Somme. Years later through genealogy I have
discovered that his father was a Methodist minister sent to Australia from
County Durham.
Why did an extended family who had lived in the same small English village
until the 1700s'from their move from Ferryden Scotland in around 1300 take
their DNA genes to USA, Canada, South Africa and Australia?
Because of Napoleon. He wished to conquer the whole of Europe from Portugal
to Russia. So the British had to go to the continent of Europe and expend
much lead in munitions in order to prevent this. (We did the same with the
Kaiser and Hitler).
My maternal ancestors were leads miners so when the Napoleonic wars were
over the Quaker owners of the lead mines had no need for workers and my
unemployed and starving ancestors decided to emigrate. They kept
smallholding farms and had to pay tithes to the Protestant church. They were
not "persecuted" but they were not treated well. (Similar comments are
pertinent to Irish and Ulster emigration). Times were hard, today we have
little idea of actually how hard.
I suspect that as Methodists in America they treated their Catholic,
Anglican Protestant and Jewish fellow immigrants with some frigidity - they
would have kept to themselves. (Note however that some were active in the
escape of black slaves from the south to the north).

There was no "running for the hills" but we should understand that
Methodists (to take but one WASP group) had themselves suffered for
generations in Europe and probably wished to keep themselves to themselves
in USA.
Their emigration was in the spirit of the guiding light of the original
English view of why America should be colonised, transporting of poor
persons to find wealth and happiness in the New world;the other was trade
(raw materials for English manufactures).

I worked with a young man 40 years ago and asked him about his truly Welsh
name of "Owen". I was interested as I come from the west as well. He
informed me that his family in the 20th century (when there has been no
persecution - Disraeli was a British Jewish Prime Minister) have changed
back and forth from Owen to Cohen.
Malcolm Dodd
Portugal

The people Beth said were hiding
things were Jews who were in danger of being tortured by Christians. They
were considered Infidels, just like the Muslims were. The Inquisition was
not
a nice time to be alive. Many innocent people were tortured until they said
anything necessary to get relief. A lot of people were converted to
Catholicism but continued their prior religion in secrecy.

>>>>>>>> This was true during the Inquisition in Spain Grant, but once they
reached the shores of America, would they not, in this frontier environment,
have reverted to their former Religion and practices? I am not convinced
about this "running for the hills" hypothesis. Jews were among the early
settlers of the USA, in places such RI, NY, SC, and MD. There is, as I
recall, considerable documentation that suggests that they did not feel
compelled to hide their Jewishness. As these communities developed in
America, would not their compatriots in the hills have forged some sort of
connections with those of their religious faith - that would in turn be
found in at least a few documentary records?

Perhaps someone better versed in Colonial and Pre-Colonial history would
care to provide more detailed information.

David.

Dr. David K. Faux, 4028 Larwin Ave., Cypress, CA, 90630, USA

---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.